Surface treated Pteris vittata L. pinnae powder used as an efficient biosorbent of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cr(VI) from aqueous solution

Biosorption is a surface-dependent phenomenon. Surface modifications by chemical treatment methods could either improve or reduce the biosorption capacity of potential biosorbents. In the present work, pristine Pteris vittata L. pinnae (PPV) powder was treated separately with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), calcium chloride (CaCl₂), and nitric acid (HNO₃). The pristine and treated biosorbents were used to assess the biosorption of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cr(VI) as a function of pH. Kinetics and adsorption isotherms were studied. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope combined with energy dispersive x-ray (SEM-EDX) spectroscopic techniques were used to characterize the biosorbents before and after chemical treatments. The possible functional groups contributing to the metal sorption were identified. Results revealed favorable biosorption of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cr(VI) described by pseudo-second order kinetics. NaOH-treated P. vittata (NPV) showed higher biosorption capacity for Pb(II) and Cd(II) compared to that of PPV. ATR-FTIR studies indicated that -OH, -COOH, and -NH₂ groups were mainly involved in Cr(VI) and -OH in Pb(II) and Cd(II) biosorption. The enhanced efficiency of NPV and CaCl₂ treated P. vittata (CPV) in the uptake of Pb(II) and Cd(II) compared to PPV can be associated with their altered physicochemical characters.     

Cytisine attenuates bone loss of ovariectomy mouse by preventing RANKL‐induced osteoclastogenesis

Postmenopausal Osteoporosis (PMOP) is oestrogen withdrawal characterized of much production and activation by osteoclast in the elderly female. Cytisine is a quinolizidine alkaloid that comes from seeds or other plants of the Leguminosae (Fabaceae) family. Cytisine has been shown several potential pharmacological functions. However, its effects on PMOP remain unknown. This study designed to explore whether Cytisine is able to suppress RANKL‐induced osteoclastogenesis and prevent the bone loss induced by oestrogen deficiency in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. In this study, we investigated the effect of Cytisine on RAW 264.7 cells and bone marrow monocytes (BMMs) derived osteoclast culture system in vitro and observed the effect of Cytisine on ovariectomized (OVX) mice model to imitate postmenopausal osteoporosis in vivo. We found that Cytisine inhibited F‐actin ring formation and tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining in dose‐dependent ways, as well as bone resorption by pit formation assays. For molecular mechanism, Cytisine suppressed RANK‐related trigger RANKL by phosphorylation JNK/ERK/p38‐MAPK, IκBα/p65‐NF‐κB, and PI3K/AKT axis and significantly inhibited these signalling pathways. However, the suppression of PI3K‐AKT‐NFATc1 axis was rescued by AKT activator SC79. Meanwhile, Cytisine inhibited RANKL‐induced RANK‐TRAF6 association and RANKL‐related gene and protein markers such as NFATc1, Cathepsin K, MMP‐9 and TRAP. Our study indicated that Cytisine could suppress bone loss in OVX mouse through inhibited osteoclastogenesis. All data provide the evidence that Cytisine may be a promising agent in the treatment of osteoclast‐related diseases such as osteoporosis.     

Molecular discrimination of structurally equivalent Lys 63‐linked and linear polyubiquitin chains

At least eight types of ubiquitin chain exist, and individual linkages affect distinct cellular processes. The only distinguishing feature of differently linked ubiquitin chains is their structure, as polymers of the same unit are chemically identical. Here, we have crystallized Lys 63‐linked and linear ubiquitin dimers, revealing that both adopt equivalent open conformations, forming no contacts between ubiquitin molecules and thereby differing significantly from Lys 48‐linked ubiquitin chains. We also examined the specificity of various deubiquitinases (DUBs) and ubiquitin‐binding domains (UBDs). All analysed DUBs, except CYLD, cleave linear chains less efficiently compared with other chain types, or not at all. Likewise, UBDs can show chain specificity, and are able to select distinct linkages from a ubiquitin chain mixture. We found that the UBAN (ubiquitin binding in ABIN and NEMO) motif of NEMO (NF‐κB essential modifier) binds to linear chains exclusively, whereas the NZF (Npl4 zinc finger) domain of TAB2 (TAK1 binding protein 2) is Lys 63 specific. Our results highlight remarkable specificity determinants within the ubiquitin system.     

Helical packaging of semiflexible polymers in bacteriophages

We investigate multilayered helical packaging of double-stranded DNA, or of a general polymer chain with persistence length l_b, into an ideal, inert cylindrical container, reaching densities slightly below close packaging. We calculate the free energy as a function of the packaged length, based on the energies for bending, twisting, the suffered entropy loss, and the electrostatic energy in a Debye–Hückel model. In the absence of charges on the packaged polymer, a critical packaging force can be determined, similar to the mechanism involved in DNA unzipping models. When charges are taken into consideration, in the final packaging state the charges which are chemically distant become geometrically close, and therefore a steep rise is seen in the free energy. We argue that due to the extremely ordered and almost closely packaged final state the actual packaging geometry does not influence the behaviour of the free energy, pointing towards a certain universality of this state of the polymer. Our findings are compared to a recent simulations study, showing that the model is sensitive to the screening length.     

Inhibition of mitochondrial fusion by α‐synuclein is rescued by PINK1, Parkin and DJ‐1

Aggregation of α‐synuclein (αS) is involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and a variety of related neurodegenerative disorders. The physiological function of αS is largely unknown. We demonstrate with in vitro vesicle fusion experiments that αS has an inhibitory function on membrane fusion. Upon increased expression in cultured cells and in Caenorhabditis elegans, αS binds to mitochondria and leads to mitochondrial fragmentation. In C. elegans age‐dependent fragmentation of mitochondria is enhanced and shifted to an earlier time point upon expression of exogenous αS. In contrast, siRNA‐mediated downregulation of αS results in elongated mitochondria in cell culture. αS can act independently of mitochondrial fusion and fission proteins in shifting the dynamic morphologic equilibrium of mitochondria towards reduced fusion. Upon cellular fusion, αS prevents fusion of differently labelled mitochondrial populations. Thus, αS inhibits fusion due to its unique membrane interaction. Finally, mitochondrial fragmentation induced by expression of αS is rescued by coexpression of PINK1, parkin or DJ‐1 but not the PD‐associated mutations PINK1 G309D and parkin Δ1–79 or by DJ‐1 C106A.     

You are what your mother eats: evidence for maternal preconception diet influencing foetal sex in humans

Facultative adjustment of sex ratios by mothers occurs in some animals, and has been linked to resource availability. In mammals, the search for consistent patterns is complicated by variations in mating systems, social hierarchies and litter sizes. Humans have low fecundity, high maternal investment and a potentially high differential between the numbers of offspring produced by sons and daughters: these conditions should favour the evolution of facultative sex ratio variation. Yet little is known of natural mechanisms of sex allocation in humans. Here, using data from 740 British women who were unaware of their foetus's gender, we show that foetal sex is associated with maternal diet at conception. Fifty six per cent of women in the highest third of preconceptional energy intake bore boys, compared with 45% in the lowest third. Intakes during pregnancy were not associated with sex, suggesting that the foetus does not manipulate maternal diet. Our results support hypotheses predicting investment in costly male offspring when resources are plentiful. Dietary changes may therefore explain the falling proportion of male births in industrialized countries. The results are relevant to the current debate about the artificial selection of offspring sex in fertility treatment and commercial 'gender clinics'.